Tag Archives: Kid-friendly

Places of particular interest to kids, though many adults may want to go as well (even if they go without kids). Note that many places in Hidden Trenton are “kid-friendly” in the sense that it’s fine to bring well behaved youngsters along. We’ve noted only those we think kids would love as well (but don’t hesitate to bring your children with you simply because we haven’t noted it as “kid-friendly”.

Sublime Salvadoran (Pupuseria y Restaurante La Bendicion)

Benedicion opened in late 2019 and delivers superb pupusa in the authentic Salvadoran style. Lightly oiled, perfectly grilled. Served with the traditional, home-made curtido (a pickled salad made from cabbage, onions, chopped up jalapenos, and cilantro), and salsa roja (mildly spiced, tomato based sauce).


[Full Review]   Ratings:      

Man Bites Dog (Captain Paul's Firehouse Dogs)

(Covid Update Dec 2021 – in business) Captain Paul’s proves that inventive entrepreneurs can make a go of even unlikely business concepts. Take the hot dog. Many spurn it as an overly processed, heavily salted, highly fatted anachronism. American cuisine at its worst. One of the culprits (though perhaps not the primary one) in a … Continue reading Man Bites Dog


[Full Review]   Ratings:      

Greening the Parking Lot (Greenwood Ave Farmers Market)

Trenton (and its surrounding environs) has a lot of terrific places to get food, from the in-town grocery stores (Food Bazaar and Supreme) to the official Trenton Farmers Market (technically not in Trenton) and the many many many specialty vendors. But it remains a town with so-called “food deserts” (places that lack access to fresh … Continue reading Greening the Parking Lot


[Full Review]   Ratings:  

Nocka-Rocka Scramble (Haycock Mountain at Nockamixon State Park)

Haycock Mountain is an entertaining, short hike (only about 0.75 mile from the trailhead to summit). You gain 460 vertical feet in this distance, which puts the average gradient about 12%, though the hike gets a fair bit steeper as you approach the summit. The payoff is the scramble: from roughly the midpoint of the hike to the summit, you’re picking your way through giant boulders. The short length and scrambly nature of the hike makes it particularly entertaining for experienced hiker-kids. It does require experienced hiker-adults to accompany them because the trail is poorly blazed, and appears as if it was never officially marked. (Driving time is just about an hour; rated for experienced hikers for elevation gain, scrambly nature, and poor blazing).


[Full Review]   Ratings:    

Fiddle Dee Dee (Fiddler's Creek Preserve)

Fiddler’s Creek Preserve is a 120 acre parcel directly south of the Baldpate Preserve, on the opposite side of Fiddler’s Creek Road. It provides two miles of Beginner to Intermediate trails, none with more than 80 feet of vertical elevation change, through fields, woods, and (most interestingly) Fiddler’s Creek Ravine. Kids will enjoy the rock walls of the ravine and the historic ruins. These trails offer about 45 minutes of easy walking, and can be combined with the Summit Trail of Baldpate Mountain via a connector trail for a longer hike. (The Ravine trail and Stoneface trails are rated Intermediate, though spry Beginners should be able to handle them. All other trails are Beginner. Driving time is about 20 minutes from downtown Trenton.)


[Full Review]   Ratings:    

Kids’ Kamping (Teetertown Preserve)

For young kids, there’s something about sleeping in a tent outdoors that’s truly exciting. It’s great even when it’s in the back yard. When it’s in the woods with a blazing camp fire, next to a farm, a short walk from a pond that’s stocked with trout, and adjacent to fun hiking trails, it’s an experience they’ll remember for a lifetime. (Driving time is about 75 minutes from Trenton, Walks are rated Beginner to Intermediate)


[Full Review]   Ratings:    

Coastal Caper (Hartshorne Woods Park)

Hartshorne Woods is a magical place for walking or mountain biking (or fishing or birding), located on the highest coastal escarpment on the Atlantic seaboard south of Maine. A little over an hour from Trenton, east of Red Bank, and opposite Sandy Hook, it makes a wonderful half-day excursion in its own right, or combined with a half-day at the beach. Kids will love the lush terrain so close to the ocean, and the military anachronisms such as the WWII pillboxes (Driving time is about 75 minutes; Rated Intermediate for cumulative elevation gain)


[Full Review]   Ratings:      

A Revolutionary Observation (Goat Hill Park)

Goat Hill towers 400 feet above the Delaware River, and provides spectacular views of New Hope, Lambertville, and Bucks/Hunterdon counties. Local legend has it that Washington visited the site before he crossed the Delaware. Kids will love the views and will be intrigued by the history. (Driving time is about 25 minutes, Rated for Beginner to Experienced hikers, depending on where you go)


[Full Review]   Ratings:    

Philly (The City) (Philadelphia, PA)

I suppose most people who live here, and many who are just exploring for the first time, know Trenton is located between New York and Philly. If, like me, you were NY focused before you moved here, you may not know that Philly is a) unbelievably close (34 miles, city center to city center), and b) a really, really cool place to visit.


[Full Review]   Ratings:  

Communing with Einstein (The Institute Pond and Woods)

Little known, but open to the public, is a lovely pond and woods on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, about a 20 minute drive north of Trenton. The pond supports solid populations of fish. It abuts the Institute Woods, which is transected by old woods roads which can be used as hiking trails (and cross-country skiing if there’s been a good snow fall) (Driving time is about 20 minutes; rated for Beginner hikers. Trails are flat and easy walking, though poorly marked. Be sure to bring a trail map).


[Full Review]   Ratings: